The Power of a Name

Picking a dj name is probably not high on the list of priorities when your starting out, but its something that could have a big impact on how well your career goes. A big part of djing successfully (in the monetary sense) is developing a brand for yourself. Like it or not, the name you choose will be the first impression people have of your brand- so choose carefully! In today’s article we are going to dive deep into what makes certain brand names work and and what factors you should consider when picking a name for yourself.

Dont Judge a Book by its… Name

Unfortunately we all do. Like it or not, humans subconsciously have observable prejudices against certain names. In his brilliant, but controversial book, “Freakanomics” – Steven D. Levitt studied the effect various names could have on a child’s financial and social success. Through rigorous research, the famous economist determined that certain types of names have a harder time in life. (*1)

Marketing experts know that sounds can play a big role in human behavior. Its generally understood that a price ending with E sounds smaller and a price ending in O sounds larger. (*2) To get people to buy- companies generally price sales with numbers like 9, and 3 so the discounts sound larger. It may sound crazy, but you have to consider that certain name sounds could actually play a role in your success. To test this theory lets look at the top 10 djs in the world (From The Dj’s List)

TIESTO

ARMIN VAN BUUREN

DAVID GUETTA

ATB

DEADMAU5

PAUL VAN DYK

FERRY CORSTEN

CARL COX

BENNY BENASSI

With the notable exception of Benassi, not a single dj in the top 10 has a name that ends with an “E” sound (like crazy). Instead they all end with a lower O sound that is produced from the back of the throat. Expand that search to the top 50 and only 2 more djs are an exception, making up 6% of the group. While this example is hardly a solid scientific study- there may be something to the sound of dj names as well and its worth further analysis.

One thing we know for sure- You want to steer clear of “dj” names that have a cliche ring to them like Dj DeckStar. Nearly no-one in the top 100 has any kind of direct industry reference in their names.

Is it Too Long?

It would be logical to assume that longer names are hard to remember and there-fore undesirable. In reality, there are a lot of top 100 djs with long names. Look closely however and you will start to see a pattern. Even though there is a mix of long and short names, the number of syllables seems to follow a trend.

The really big house hold names always have 2-3 syllables (Daft Punk, Deep Dish, Tiesto, Paul Van Dyke,), and almost no one has more than 6 in their name. It makes sense, less syllables = easier to pronounce and easier to remember. The exceptions to this rule are a few djs using their given foreign names (for example Hernan Catteneo) that have more than 6.

Your will notice peaks at 3 and 5 syllables, which musically speaking, have a nice “ring to them”.

The Ultimate Goal

Best case scenario: Your wildest dreams come true and global dj fame comes knocking. The goal is to become a household name, like Tiesto, where that name or brand is not only owned exclusively by you but always points to your work. Imagine if Tiesto had instead picked Dj Mobile or Dj Midas. He would have run into the following problems:

• domain names already locked up

• pre-existing trademarks

• copyrights

• google searches that produced car parts instead of dj mixes.

If at all possible you want to choose a name that:

• is not used by anyone else in a professional capacity

• has an available domain name

• produces under 300 google search results

• is phonetically spelled so people can easily search for what they hear (deadmau5) being a VERY notable exception.

When you hit the big time, capitalize on the years of efforts and make sure people always think of you- not some other random dj or company.

What about Country of Origin?

Do British, American or European names fair better than others? For a while there, during the height of the Minimal craze, it was almost a requirement to have a German sounding name. I know of several American producers that created “German” monikers that seemed to have helped their careers significantly. This may work if you time the trends, but be careful- what if the sound associated with that country go out of style? It may be safer to go with a neutral sounding name that cant be associated with a style or location for the longest life span.

During the dot com boom it was in vogue to put .com at the end of your brand name but now in hindsight it just looks plain cheesy. Pick a name that is timeless and wont pigeon hole you into one sound. For example, Dj Scratch might have a hard time making it as a Techno dj if the DMC championship does not work out.

In Conclusion

Achieving success in any musical field is going to require a lot more than just a clever dj name but it doesn’t hurt to give your self the best chances from the get-go right? If your going to use a Moniker, pick a name that will help build your career- not make it harder to start one.

Why do you say “With the notable exception of Benassi, not a single dj in the top 10 has a name that ends with an “E” sound (like crazy). Instead they all end with a lower O sound that is produced from the back of the throat. ”

Only one of the 10 names ends with an “O” (Tiesto). The rest are random. And 2 of the DJ names end with “E” sounds (Benassi, ATB).

Ive only only started djing recently and i thought dj kay-9 would be good anyone else think so

Izzy da Munk

I can’t tell you how many “dj’s” i’ve met that use the name “dj reckless” spelled one way or another. obviously there was no real effort on their parts to be even the slightest bit creative. I took some time and thought about what moniker fits me and my style best, and so far it’s paid off.

Anthony Gomulka

intresting. how does “Jetset Future” sound to your ears?

Nother Unknown

Wow! All This Arguing is making me laugh. Maybe some of you should change carrers from DJing to Comedians… Gotta say though DJ Prostate is def my favorite. That name would not be the tailend of conversation, that’s for sure. Oh the hillarity!

DjDennis

well you can see I just stuck with my name

its Dennis
I am a Dj

so its DjDennis

oh and also a menace

call me dennis the menace

Jupa

i think my DJs name works great… i’ve chose Jupa many many years ago, when i needed a CounterStrike alias :P
nowadays people in the streets, family and friends calls me Jupa.. so i decided to use that nickname as my DJ name…
ALSO it’s my real name encoded… JUan PAblo :P

cause my name is will and I’m a beast. No one ever forgets that name. It looks good on flyers, and for some reason when an MC yells it out to a crowd everyone just loves it. I give credit on my name to my previous boss.

freaky mofo

When me and my mate started playing pubs and parties we called ourselves the freaky motherfuckers, got it from one of the songs we played. He’s moved away but I’m still using it. Need to get someone else on board.

http://thedjpodcast.com Peter Morgan (The DJ Podcast)

[quote comment=”29309″]I’ve found that using my real name is a much better strategy than coming up with something fake. I decided this awhile ago because I was so sick of hearing people say, “Hi, my name is Frank a.k.a. DJ Funky Fresh Mixster.” It always sounded so lame.

If you use your real name, you never have to sound like a tool introducing yourself and including your DJ name.

DJ names work great for some, but it never felt right for me. My personality is the same in the booth as it is in everyday life.[/quote]

Same for me. Some people think you need a crazy name. Often times the names are a bit too crazy.

Anon

[quote comment=”29243″][quote]not a single dj in the top 10 has a name that ends with an “E” [/quote]
Of course not, most of them have moved on to higher class stuff than just “E”.[/quote]

Heh, 90% of all DJ careers end in E.. you’ve been warned.. lawl..

Logan Gra

[quote comment=”29948″]DJ Prostate: i think so. but it might make it cooler if you change it to Prostat3? or just radically change to Fellatio (it even has the o sound at the end).[/quote]
Or EVEN’

R4d1c4L f3LL4T10

Logan Gra

I’m having the hardest time finding a name – 4 syllables. I hate pseudonyms, too.

Any help?

http://www.johndow.de John Dow

I’m fine I guess…

http://www.royaldust.it Royal Dust

DJ Prostate: i think so. but it might make it cooler if you change it to Prostat3? or just radically change to Fellatio (it even has the o sound at the end).

http://soundcloud/virtualunknown Unknown

[quote comment=”29593″]Wow– I like the DJ name “Unknown”

=^.^=[/quote]Thats “Virtual Unknown”!

In the 80s there was the Unknown Dj! My inspiration to get the Techs!

thebuttonfreak

I’m the only person I’ve ever seen with my name.

http://www.myspace.com/djanehillary Hillary Bloch

Wow– I like the DJ name “Unknown” =^.^=

http://www.myspace.com/djanehillary Hillary Bloch

I don’t know. It’s all about the music. If my parents named me Iphigenia, maybe I’d just call myself Iffie Never liked the name Gladys, but that never kept me from listening to Gladys Knights. Mary Jane— how blah. Would never listen to the Mary Jane Girls. OK– DJ Deckstar is pretty blech. =^.^=

http://www.daveskinz.com Dave Skinz

Personally I’ve always tried to steer clear of the DJ prefix as it can limit the way people see you once you start to get more involved in the scene. Same can be said of using words that can be genre specific they just pigeon hole you. Always loved the effect a double barrel stage name and surname can have in a situation. Can be a bit of bitch when having to fly and your ticket name differs from your passport!!! LOL.

http://subtempo.com JETPACK

i think the NAME is karma…hehe…my name is like thunder in the pocket…

Boris

i choose for my dj name…..DJ Bad Boris….and i think it is good choice =) what do you say?

D Holling

theres already a very famous dj boris

Nemo DX Zimmer

Well, I chose my first name as dj name, which is nemO :D Good innit! :D Problems is however, there are pretty many djs out there that have the same dj name…. Nice article!

Unknown

“FYI..(just so the hip hop readers don’t feel we’re out of touch), DJ Scratch is the DJ for legendary hip hop group EPMD (You Gots To Chill, So Wat Cha Sayin’, etc.). Still very active & skillful to date.”

Don’t Forget Dj K La boss…did the scratching on the first album!

Fernando

Hi Ean,

there certinaly is some debate, which is what topics are supposed to do. If it then further encourages the reader to research and submit their opinions then the article has achieved its objective.

Fernando..spinnning the deep house

Fernando

Hi Ean,

there certinaly is some debate, which what topics are supposed to do. If it then furher encourages the reader to research and submit their opinions then the article has achieved its object.

Fernando..spinnning the deep house

http://hypersonicradio.com mexicanfrommars

@DJ Prostate, if you drop the “e” at the end, you’re now, “Pro Stat”. sounds much better than a genital gland to me!

VanGogo

Just to add a little fuel to the discussion….. If you are strictly using controllers, no CD, vinyl, or time code vinyl; should you really put “DJ” in front of your stage/artist name? Considering the only disc you would be spinning is your hard drive.
I’m not bashing controllerists, as I am practicing to become one, and have never “spun” anything myself. Just wondering how experienced DJ’s feel about it.

http://www.funkyhousedj.com Mikey High Jinks

Hey Ean,

Great post, I’m sure this will be very helpful for alot of people.

I’ve been djing for 20 years under all kind of names. My real name is Michael Maglinte which gets terrible mis-spellings. So I have not really used that much. For the last 10 years or so I have been called “Mikey High Jinks”. The Dictionary definition of High Jinks was noisy merry-making and boisterous fun.

What I found was not many people were searching for Mikey High Jinks, so I brought the domain http://www.funkyhousedj.com and that is my new blog and its getting 500+ hits a day were I was lucky to get 500 a month on my .org.uk address.

We lucked out and found a domain name that wasn’t taken, unfortunately somone else had our twitter name though. That kind of sucks.

Our name is kind of tongue in cheek, but is memorable too and not too long.

http://www.thedjlist/djs/DIGIBEACH digibeach

For a long time i lived on the beach (jersey shore) and i love anything digital (ie technology) thats where digibeach came from. I kept it to myself for a very long time ands then people started to notice. I thought it might be stupid. People tell me they do like it. But now i live in New York. Im keeping the name but not going to get carried away with it. My last name is really long but there are several VERY VERY big DJs with my first name, which is cool.

RCUS

@ Rob Ticho, did you read the article? You’ve been blessed with a good name man hahah. Rob Ticho. Three syllables, ends in an ‘O’ and guessing you get way under 300 google items for that!

for the naysayers, I have a degree in marketing and a job in marketing and if you doubt this article, you’re flat out ignorant. For all you guys that doubt, look at the world around you. the info Ean passed on is everywhere, from fast food restaurants to famous musicians, to car companies.

This article is great Ean, thanks for the detailed research.

Anonymous

Once have a name figured out, do you trademark it? What’s the next step?

http://www.12inch.se 12inch

Hi,

My name, 12inch come on!

But i started play vinyl in the mid 80:s that´s it.

I think that the DJ before your name is overrated. You don´t put Autofixer Stan or Tv repairman Nick…..

/12″

DJ R3

Rotterdam Riddm Resource, triple R or R3, some guy gave me the resource term long time ago after remixing Human Resource Dominator with a Riddm from a 303. It never made a 12″ but underground radio it was Rotterdam hardcore.
Maybe a DJ name is a mental term that might hang and maybe phonetical endings add to this but a performance and promotion is more important. We booked Dj’s with sharp names and hot ads/flyer but expectations were dissapointing. And Dj Willem outperformed them all.
i feel sorry some people heath up, keep it nice and cool
Thanks Ean

http://www.robticho.com Rob Ticho

I’ve found that using my real name is a much better strategy than coming up with something fake. I decided this awhile ago because I was so sick of hearing people say, “Hi, my name is Frank a.k.a. DJ Funky Fresh Mixster.” It always sounded so lame.

If you use your real name, you never have to sound like a tool introducing yourself and including your DJ name.

Also, I’ve run into a lot of occasions where I’ve known someone for a long time and didn’t connect their DJ name with their real name. This is especially true for DJs I spin with from college and local radio.

DJ names work great for some, but it never felt right for me. My personality is the same in the booth as it is in everyday life.

DJ Ellipsis

Good article. But… ATB is pronounced A-T-“BEE”.

J450N N4ME

this article is getting a bit heated. I know that wasn’t your intention but don’t let it spoil the mood for you. 1000 thankyous for all you do.

http://www.eangolden.com Ean Golden

[quote comment=”29290″]This may be the dumbest article I have ever read. If you look at the top 10 list of world famous DJs, they all have one thing in common, and it isn’t the handles they go by; its that they busted their ass for a a long looong while (read: years.) THAT is how you become a superstar DJ, not by finding the “perfect name”. [/quote]

no one ever said picking a dj name would make you famous. you may want to re-read the conclusion:

“Achieving success in any musical field is going to require a lot more than just a clever dj name but it doesn’t hurt to give your self the best chances from the get-go right”

and if you honestly dont think your name or “brand” does not effect success then you just dont understand the business of djing. Tiesto does, he has an entire team of people that develop his brand. His success and others did indeed come from years of hard work but its takes a lot more than just good tunes to make it in these competitive markets.

DJLp

For example, Dj Scratch might have a hard time making it as a Techno dj if the DMC championship does not work out.

FYI..(just so the hip hop readers don’t feel we’re out of touch), DJ Scratch is the DJ for legendary hip hop group EPMD (You Gots To Chill, So Wat Cha Sayin’, etc.). Still very active & skillful to date.

He’s also done quite well. As a “techno” DJ, yeah that may be a hard sell. In general terms though, I’d add that your name also needs to connect with your genre, style & target audience. Jazzy Jeff (my favorite example), on paper that wouldn’t mean much these days (if even back then) but look what he made the name into. And it was created from him cuttin’ up jazz records on the turntables back in the day. Again, the article has excellent things to consider so this isn’t intended to be a contrast. Just an expansion on the discussion.

DJ DJ

This may be the dumbest article I have ever read. People who go to a club and hear a sound they like WILL remember the name of the DJ, and if they don’t, they’ll find out. It comes down to the tracks you produce and play, and the way you rock a dancefloor. All of this superficial “pick teh right name lolz” theorizing is completely useless. If you look at the top 10 list of world famous DJs, they all have one thing in common, and it isn’t the handles they go by; its that they busted their ass for a a long looong while (read: years.) All but one of the DJs on that list (Deadmau5 being the exception) have been in the game of spinning parties and busting their asses for 15+ years. THAT is how you become a superstar DJ, not by finding the “perfect name”. If anyone takes this article seriously, they’re in for a real surprise later on down the line. You could have the illest sounding name on the planet and still be spinning in your parent’s basement your whole life if you aren’t prepared to put in years and years of hard work. Laughable.

Rumblejazz

Rum.Ble.Jazz. The power of 3 multiplied by jazz, and rumble…

http://www.silkwolf.com silk wolf (ATL)

Although I’ve been a DJ for nearly a decade, when I switched to Silk Wolf instead of my name (which is hard to say, as well as spell) things have actually blown up a bit. I’m not saying that a name will cause you to all of a sudden get big (I’ve been busting my ass to get where I am now), but it can help make your brand something that people can remember, especially when you have an image and clean design to go with it.

I would however agree with the others that have pointed out to avoid stuff that is too ‘deep’. While your latest vocabulary term from a bio science or philosophy class might seem cool at the moment, words that aren’t commonly used are also quickly forgotten or confused with others.

DJ ShonkyBoy

not sure if mine sounds a bit ‘shonky’ or not – its a name i got ages ago that kind of stuck :)

http://www.cargocollective.com/djlys Lys

I never quite can decide whether my dj name rocks or not. I kinda like the complete lack of hard syllables, making the pronunciation a bit strange.

Ivan Draco

[quote comment=”29243″][quote]not a single dj in the top 10 has a name that ends with an “E” [/quote]
Of course not, most of them have moved on to higher class stuff than just “E”.[/quote]
Det der er ikke pro kompis! :)

BedroomDJ

NOW I know why I didn’t get any booking so far….

Great article! Thanx!

http://djmaculate.com Mac

I thought it was a way cool article. Can’t please everyone, which I am sure you know all too well now. Keep up the amazing work.

PatrickYoung

I’ve got two names that I’m pondering over atm.

DropShip
Stretch

I’m leaning towards stretch because of the obvious dj reference in the other one.
Just wondering what you guys think.

Cheers.

B33SON

I like two syllables. It’s easy to chant.

Code:Morse

oh b***ocks…. spot the cock up in mine :)

Still it seems to work so far, for a given value of “work”….

http://inquell.net Inquell

I suffered for a long time trying to make a “good” name. But decided just to stick with Inquell. I used Inkwell for a bit, but realized i’d probably be the last hit on a search engine and there’s already a band called inkwell with the domain name. the only thing i have an issue with is people not knowing exactly how to spell it. That gets really annoying. All i can say is make a DJ name that’s obviously phonetic and matches your dj style.

http://www.eangolden.com Ean Golden

[quote comment=”29266″]One more pickup on the Spinbad. Sinbad (not Spinbad) is the comedian. Spinbad spins on Power 105.1 in New York. His track record is above average & his skill is WELL above average. [/quote]

thanks for pointing out that mistake- article corrected :)

[quote comment=”29267″]
For one, is this statement supposed to contain opposite words: “Its generally understood that a price ending with E sounds bigger and a price ending in O sounds larger”? Doesn’t really make any sense. Also, what prices end in an “O”? A 0? Yes, but an O?
[/quote]

that one slipped by the editors too :) – article corrected.

its prices that end with an O sound produced in the back of the throat. LIke two, four, eight, one.

http://ezramechaber.com Ezra

Come on Ian, we’re a little heavy on the pseudo-science here.

For one, is this statement supposed to contain opposite words: “Its generally understood that a price ending with E sounds bigger and a price ending in O sounds larger”? Doesn’t really make any sense. Also, what prices end in an “O”? A 0? Yes, but an O?

Two, we aren’t talking about more expensive or less expensive, we’re talking about pleasing names. The Freakonomics reference would have been good if you had mentioned the lesson learned – which names give people hard times? Why? Instead, you just mentioned that they did.

People should choose names that are catchy but not cheesy, and definitely something that you can google. But I didn’t need a pseudo-scientific analysis of the DJ top 50 to tell me that. Regarding syllables, Daft Punk, DJ Benzi, DJ AM, Steve Aoki, and even Ian Golden have 2 or 4 syllables. If the lesson is “try not to have a name longer that 8 syllables,” we can still defer to common sense here.

You’re capable of better writing, I have no doubt – your personal insights are worth plenty on their own without needing to employ some faulty scientific method.

DJLp

One more pickup on the Spinbad. Sinbad (not Spinbad) is the comedian. Spinbad spins on Power 105.1 in New York. His track record is above average & his skill is WELL above average. Still a good article & the intended point of the example is understood but just inaccurate in this case. Check it out.

Problem number one was for me to actually find a proper name and second because of the long time I had no name and played without one (almost a year), I lost some probably nice gigs.
Nobody knew the name of the guy who rocked the last party!

But two month ago a good friend of mine actually gave me a good name: Dj Six 1/2 Feet

After this article I am not really sure if it is really a good name. What do you think?
37,1 Mio hits with Google might be a problem.

This article helped me narrow down a little. I have been think of a DJ name so long now, for over a year. End next month I have first gig, I think I’m going with the name Nozem. It revers to young trouble makers in 1955(Dutch). And it was something my parents used to call me when I was a teenager. Personally I think it goes well with the genre of music I play, Deep House and Tech House.
Now I was wandering how it sounds in English/other languages and what you guys think of it?

Mudo

…

I use El_Mudo instead Mudo only because Mudo is a mute person not mud person.

I think maybe El_MudE will be better!

…

Ray

[quote comment=”29250″]I heard promoters like big name DJs[/quote]

dude that is fucking hilarious

http://www.myspace.com/bestlegsinhd jorge muniz

Best Legs–named after an old photo of my mom winning a best legs competition.

Fyoog

Just googled my name after reading this and it’s amazing the amount of stuff there was!! There wasn’t loads but it’s by no means a googlewhack, may need re-assessment if (when ;-)) i get famous!!!
Just to pick up on the DJ Spinbad comment, i think he did a wicked Fabric series CD if you like your classic hiphop?
Everything starts with an “E”!!! Not that much ends with one…..

http://thereverand.com The Reverand

I find if you have something memorable about your name, and then your set, you don’t need to follow a formula.
The Reverand works quite well.

ejac

3 in 50 is 6%, not 1.5% ;)

duerr

generally good article, some great points were brought up. i’m not so sure about the vowel sound segment of it though. it was an interesting point to bring up and the study probably does have merit, however, i think equating how people perceive the sound of prices with the sound of brands are not one in the same.

And what of it?

To those of you asking about established DJ names with an ‘E’ on the end (Boys Noize for example), I don’t think Ean actually meant the fact they end in the letter ‘E’, he was more referring to the ‘eee’ sound… so things like ‘Lively’, ‘Happy’, ‘Mikey’, all those kinda names. Words like ‘Mike’, Dope’, ‘Hype’ might end in ‘E’, but they don’t have an ‘eee’ sound.
On another note, I’ve always wanted a DJ name purely for branding and memorable purposes but have never been able to think of one, have always thought it to be kinda lame to think up a name for yourself, and have also wanted to find a partner in crime to hook up with and then think of a collective name… seeing as I just can’t seem to find the right person it’s looking more and more like I’m going to be forced to think of a name for myself. I might have to get help with that one.

DJ Antidisestablishmentarianism

I heard promoters like big name DJs

caper

what about Boys Noize its got an e on the end and isnt phonetically spellt, and hes a huge household name.

RCUS

Awesome article, and timely for me. I’ve been building up a list for the past year for possible names. I had been going for a two syllable combination, but facts are facts. 3 syllables it is! Hopeful I will pick soon. In the meantime I practice.

Anonymous

Once you have a name figured out, what steps do you take to ensure no one else can use it?

slangemenneske

[quote]not a single dj in the top 10 has a name that ends with an “E” [/quote]
Of course not, most of them have moved on to higher class stuff than just “E”.

Anonymous

ru_chez. first and last name cut in half. what do you think?

Whyte

[quote comment=”29239″]I swear to god I was going to email you guys last night about writing a post on thinking up a DJ name. I have been banging my head against the wall for MONTHS trying to think of something. I think a solid name fitting the criteria you mentioned is extremely important. Obvious exceptions being people like “Nacho Lovers” and such.

Anyways a GREAT follow up to this post would be ways of brainstorming for DJ names. I’ve tried everything from rhyming dictionaries to thesauruses to those silly DJ name generators, still haven’t found it yet but I’m on my way.[/quote]
Just don’t try too hard m8. The harder you try the cheesier/worse it’ll end up.

Didn’t your friends call you by a certain name when you were younger? Any personal experience that you had a name for, some special word you like?

Since my first nickname 7 years ago was WhiteViper when i was still a diehard gamer, i switched to White when it turned out everybody just called me White. Since I got into dj-ing i changed it to Whyte, just to give it some historical meaning and to stand out from the crowd a bit more.

I swear to god I was going to email you guys last night about writing a post on thinking up a DJ name. I have been banging my head against the wall for MONTHS trying to think of something. I think a solid name fitting the criteria you mentioned is extremely important. Obvious exceptions being people like “Nacho Lovers” and such.

Anyways a GREAT follow up to this post would be ways of brainstorming for DJ names. I’ve tried everything from rhyming dictionaries to thesauruses to those silly DJ name generators, still haven’t found it yet but I’m on my way.

Tyler

It might be taken but I came up with a name and a catch phrase this last summer. DJ Labyrinth:get lost in the music

http://mrtunes.ca/blog Mr. Tunes

“I know of several American producers that created “German” monikers that seemed to have helped their careers significantly. This may work if you time the trends, but be careful- what if the sound associated with that country go out of style? It may be safer to go with a neutral sounding name that cant be associated with a style or location for the longest life span.”

best of luck to wolfgang gartner.

J450N N4ME

This is an article I read in Rolling Stone MANY years ago. The very end talks about how the Butthole Surfers felt about their name. WARNING- being that this was from a Rolling Stone magazine the language is a little raunchy. You have been warned.http://ngro_obsrvr.tripod.com/articles/beatles.html

I just use my real name, to choose an artist name is pretentious and silly and to put DJ in front of your name is strictly for hip-hop, otherwise it’s ridiculous.

http://www.dj-nvidia.com/ Dj Nvidia

I was obviously inspired by my a company for my name. But it has dual meaning, envy in spanish and the fact that I am a Vj as well (nvidia being graphics cards, hence the connection).

I actually have gotten a lot of compliments for my name. Latinos find the translation to be sexy, and geeks find it to be cool. (Not that many geeks venture the clubs I spin at, but ud be surprised)

To be honest the fact that my name is hard to pronounce and little hard to spell has been a “god-send” when it comes to promoting. Everyone remembers it…

The one thing I do regret though is that Nvidia is such a well establish computer company, that many Google searches pull up forum discussions about their graphic cards :(

DJ Prostate

It must be because of the “E” at the end

DJ Prostate

For some reason, club owners don’t take me seriously because of my DJ name. Any advice Ean?

JLS

Headlining the toilets tonight…DJ Prostate!!!
LOL

http://www.djmap.org DJ MAP

what about acronyms? when i was choosing a name one of my friends suggested DJ A.I.D.S. which stood for Amazing Individual Doing Scratches. How do you feel about these? maybe not in such an extremely inappropriate context, but generally speaking.

and anymore i see people come up with the most cliche names. like DJ J-Rob (first letter of first name and first syllable of last name). just google it before you make it permanent. and secure a domain name.

Vinicius Hoffmann

Perfect!
I loved it, I just love statistic and graphs, I work with it hehe
This tips works to name a software or a company too.
Really nice Ean, I like when you go deeper in a subject like you did with it.
Sometimes I found the articles too short or to superfical in a subject.

J-Neb

You spelled Deadmu5 wrong the first time

http://www.n3lly.com n3lly

The amount of names I’ve come up with in the past with friends and family have been hilarious. Mainly due to the fact that when i started playing locally i just ended up using my real name instead of anything else.

If i make it bigger yeah i’ll consider using a moniker (my mother’s maiden name perhaps, Gantenbein) however until that day, as long as you don’t put DJ in front of your name I think your normal name does the trick quite well. You’ll notice quite a few people make the mistake of putting DJ in front of their names when signing up to forums only to regret it a few years down the line. Similar to putting the year you were born on your email address or the infamous 69..

Just my 2c.

http://soundcloud.com/thebrooklynknockout the Brooklyn Knockout

I got my name “the Brooklyn Knockout” because brooklyn is abbrivated BK .. so i made BK stand for Brooklyn Knockout .. or BK.KO Brooklyn Knockout .. and all that matters is that you like your dj name

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